Southwest Women’s Business Enterprises Generated More than $3.95 Billion in 2008
Top WBEs Honored at 13th Annual Women’s Business Council Gala
DALLAS – Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) were honored Tuesday night during the 13th annual Women’s Business Council Southwest (WBCS) Gala, held at the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center. The Gala recognized and honored the 2008 accomplishments of exemplary WBEs and the corporations that support them.
This year’s award winners included:
* WBE of the Year – CFj Manufacturing, Sharon Evans, President
* WBE Rising Star – Q2 Marketing Group, Terri Quinton, President
* WBE Advocate of the Year – Gail Warrior-Lawrence, President, The Warrior Group, Inc.
* Corporation of the Year – Alcatel-Lucent
* Corporate Rising Star – Brinker International
* Corporate Advocate of the Year – Wendy Raney, Windstream Communications
* WBE Volunteer of the Year – Royalyn Reid, President, Consumer & Market Insights
* Corporate Volunteer of the Year – Marilyn Stewart, Alcatel-Lucent
* Regional Volunteer of the Year – Elise Mitchell, President, Mitchell Communications
WBEs in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico contributed positively to the economy by generating more than USD 3.95 billion in 2008, a 30 percent increase over 2007.
“Although the economy was certainly challenging in 2008, our members excelled in generating gains in sales, revenue, and employees,” said Debbie Hurst, president of WBCS. “This year’s Gala will honor not only the top-performing WBEs, but all of our members for their commitment and achievements.”
Hurst added, “Despite the recession, our members demonstrated in 2008 that they could grow, and they plan more growth in 2009. In fact, one-third of our members are projecting that their companies will grow more than 25 percent this year, while another third is anticipating more modest growth. This is encouraging news for our members’ customers and suppliers and the business community as a whole.”
The average revenue for a WBCS WBE in 2008 was USD 8.34 million, a 33 percent increase over 2007. Fifty-two percent of WBEs have been in business for more than 10 years and 34 percent have between 10 and 50 employees. WBCS increased certified WBE membership by 6 percent. WBCS also grew its ethnic minority WBE membership by 14 percent.
WBCS, a regional affiliate of Women Business Enterprise National Council, supports the growth of women-owned businesses by providing certification, training, mentoring, and networking opportunities for its members, connecting buyers and suppliers to drive business growth.
About WBCS
Headquartered in Arlington, Texas, WBCS is dedicated to increasing mutually beneficial procurement opportunities between certified woman-owned businesses, corporations, businesses, government entities, institutions and other organizations. With more than 700 WBE members and 80 corporate sustaining members, WBCS is in its 13th year of providing national certification to women-owned businesses. To find out more about the WBCS please visit external linkwww.wbcsouthwest.org . WBCS is a regional affiliate of Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) covering Oklahoma, north Texas, Arkansas and New Mexico. Founded in 1995, WBENC has become a powerhouse organization for women entrepreneurs across the country.
Editor’s Note: A photo of the WBCS Gala winners is available. To request a digital photo, please contact Ebbah Tokwe at 972-717-3500 x 233 or email etokwe@transsynergy.com.
About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is the trusted partner of service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, providing solutions that deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. A leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent leverages the unrivalled technical and scientific expertise of Bell Labs, one of the largest innovation powerhouses in the communications industry. With operations in more than 130 countries and the most experienced global services organization in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with a global reach. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 17.8 billion in 2007 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
WebWireID84854
This news content was configured by WebWire editorial staff. Linking is permitted.
News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.